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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. rush — hurry
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. bear — the animal
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. shower — to wash
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. stock — goods
  14. game — a match
  15. bear — the animal
  16. game — wild animals
  17. shower — rain
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. stock — shares
  21. perch — the fish
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. fork — in a road
  24. bear — to put up with

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com